"She's always telling me things her students have come up with," a smiling Olson said of his mother. "They'll say, 'Oh, I saw Matt on TV.'"
The kids have had plenty of occasions to say that lately, given Olson's historic second half with the Oakland A's.
Olson, 23, is tied with J.D. Martinez for the Major League lead with 11 home runs in September, the latest coming in Oakland's 8-3 victory over the Tigers on Monday at Comerica Park.
Olson has hit 22 home runs in 54 games this year -- a Major League record for a rookie season of fewer than 80 games.